For the second year in a row, Halton Food for Thought received recognition from one of the largest food companies in the world.
The organization is one of 100 nonprofits in North America to receive a PepsiCo Foundation Community Impact Award.
“It means a lot on different levels,” Devon Evershed, director of philanthropy and communications for Halton Food for Thought said. “In order to be considered for this award, you have to be nominated by a Pepsi employee. We’re very fortunate that one of our volunteers is an employee, and she said she’d like to help nominate you in order to support and fund the organization.”
Volunteer Sarah Yuan nominated Halton Food for Thought, adding she is very proud of the organization receiving the award.
Other Canadian winners include Green Calgary Association and Food Banks Mississauga. Halton Food for Thought provides meals to more than 95,000 students in 152 schools in the region. As recipients of the award, the group also gets $7,500 to use towards their cause.
“An average meal costs about $2 for each student, so that will be more than 3,000 meals,” Evershed said.
Halton Food for Thought has seen a 20 per cent increase in usage year over year, Evershed added. Food insecurity in Halton has been a significant issue in the last year, with local food bank usage at an all time high.
“Through the support of community programs such as PepsiCo Foundation Community Impact Award, we are able to offer students from junior kindergarten to grade 12 across Halton, a reliable source of healthy food at school every day, to ensure they have access to the nutrients they need to fuel their day ahead,” Aliya Khawari, Executive Director of Halton Food for Thought wrote in a press release.
“The demand for our programs continues to rise due to rising food costs and rapid growth within the region. We are very thankful to receive this award to help meet the growing needs of our programs to support students across Halton.”
Halton Food for Thought will be looking to the demands of each school to decide how to best spend the money on foods students need, as well as where the charity itself needs more support.
Volunteers at Halton Food for Thought heard early that they were nominated for the award by Yuan, and understood that the funding could go a long way in the region.
“We never take any funding for granted,” Evershed said. “We know an organization’s priorities can change, other opportunities may come up for them, so we’re never taking anything for granted. We knew we were being nominated, but we didn’t know how many others we were going against. But we have an employee who is very passionate about their volunteer work.”
Halton Food for Thought is looking to expand in the near future to four more schools in the region, and is preparing for its annual awareness campaign – Feeduary – early next year.
For more information, visit Halton Food for Thought’s website.
